Reset mechanism for parking meters



Aprilv 20, 1965 M. c. HoDGE RESET MECHANISM FOR PARKING METERS April zo, 198s M. c. Home: 3,178,880

RESET MECHANISM FOR PARKING METERS Filed July 25, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O 3,178,880 RESET MECHANISM FR PARKING METERS Marion C. Hodge, Rte. 6, Elizabethton, Tenn. Filed July 25, 1961, Ser. No. 126,597 2 Claims. (Cl. 58-142) This invention relates to parking meters, and in par ticular to a reset device for such meters.

Users of parking meters frequently drive around seeking meters showing unexpired time, and, in so doing, create traffic problems, and reduce city revenues from the meters, by using the unexpired time. Further, where a meter is allowed to run its full course, with the space unoccupied during a part of the time, the meter mechanism undergoes unnecessary Wear.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device which prevents plural use of paid time intervals on parking meters. Other objects are to i11- crease revenues and increase meter life. Other objects include providing a device which is readily adaptable to existing meters, which is comparatively simple in structure and capable of manufacture from conventional components, and which is reliable in operation, and easy of maintenance.

These and other objects, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, are attained by the present invention, which may be briey described as comprising a spring-driven shaft coupled to the main shaft of the meter dial through a clutch which is engaged by a fluid-operated diaphragm responsive to movement of a car out of a parking space, the driving spring being released simultaneously with engagement of the clutch.

For a more detailed description of the invention, reerence is made to the following specification, as illustrated in the drawings, in which:

FGURE 1 is a contracted side elevational view of a parking meter partly broken away and in section, showing the reset device, attached to the meter, on the street side, together with its actuating means on the street surface,

FlGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of FlGURE l,

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged axial sectional view taken through the reset device shown in FIGURE l,

FIGURE 5 is a sectional View, taken on the line 5 5 of FIGURE 4,

FIGUREy 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of FIGURE l, and

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a clutch actuator.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, there is shown, in FIGURE 1, a conventional parking meter, having a hollow head 10, a tubular standard 12, `and base flange 14 mounted on a curb 16. The dial, on the sidewalk side is indicated by the numeral 18. The driving mechanism for the meter, which may partake of any of several forms, is indicated in part, in broken lines, as comprising a frame 28, a spring 22, and a final pinion 24 on a dial shaft 26. For accommodating the reset mechanism of the present invention, shaft 26 carries an extra spur gear 28, operated by a pinion 38 on a stub shaft 32 on which a coupling sleeve 34 is secured. As seen in FIGURE 4, shaft 32 has a square end 36 received in a square opening in sleeve 34, which is secured thereto by a set screw 38.

The illustrated reset mechanism is contained in a hollow housing 40, of generally rectangular form, with rounded corners, which is secured to the street-side of the meter head 1i) by a suitable number of screws 42, or by any other convenient means, with a gasket 43 intervening.

ICC

The upper part of the housing 40 has inner and outer chambers 44, 46, separated by a partition wall 48. The outer wall 50 of housing 40 has an inwardly extending boss 52, with central bore 54, counterbored as at 56, at its inner end, on which is journalled in the outer end of a shaft 58, which is also journalled in a bore 69 in the partition wall 48, and has its inner end 62 within the inner chamber 44. At its outer end, shaft 58 has a reduced section 64 of square cross section, Within bore 54, adapted to be engaged by a clock-winding key 66, shown in broken lines in FIGURE l.

The shaft S8 is formed with an axial bore opening to the inner end of the shaft 58, in which is journalled a shaft 68, having a polygonal intermediate portion 70, and a cylindrical inner end portion 72, the latter being journalled in a bore in the inner wall of housing 40, coaxial with the bore 54. A polygonal terminal end 74 of the shaft 68 is received in sleeve 34, and secured by a set screw 78.

A driving, ring gear Sil, with teeth 81, is xed on the inner end of the shaft 58, and a driven, ring gear 82, with teeth 83, is slidable on the portion 70 of the shaft 68. The gear 82 has a counterbore 84, accommodating a compression, coil spring 86, which bears against the inner end of shaft 58 and serves to normally hold the gears 80, 82 separated. Gear 80 has a hub portion 88 through which it is keyed to drive shaft 58, as by a set screw 90, and is provided, on its periphery with ratchet teeth 92, cooperating with a pawl 94, whereby it is normally immobilized. The pawl is pivoted on a pin 96, carried by a bracket 98, depending from the top of housing 40, and has a portion extending beyond the pin, urged upwardly by a tension spring 102 secured to a bracket 104 on the top of the housing, whereby the pawl is normally urged into engagement with the ratchet teeth.

The drive shaft 58 is biased to rotate in one direction by a spiral spring 186 of the constant torque type, such as used as mainsprings in clockworks, the spring being anchored at its outer end to a screw 108 carried by partition wall 48, and having its inner end 110 embedded in a slot in the shaft 58. A washer 111 is interposed between the spring 1116 and the wall 48. Spring 106 is wound up by turning shaft 58 with crank 66, gear 81) being held at each stage of winding by engagement of pawl 94 with ratchet teeth 92.

The energy stored in the spring 186 is freed to reset the meter, by moving the gear 82 into mesh with gear 811, and at the same time, lifting the pawl 94 out of engagement with the ratchet teeth g2. This is accomplished by a dual-function lever 112, pivoted intermediate its ends on a pin 114 carried by a bracket 116 extending from partition wall 48. At its inner end the lever 112 carries a downwardly and inwardly extending cam yoke 118, which upon downward movement of the lever engages a beveled cam surface on gear 82, whereby the gear 82 is cammed outwardly into mesh with gear 88. Between cam yoke 118 and pivot 114, the lever has a downwardly extending lug 122, adapted to bear upon the top of pawl 94 so as to lift the latter out of engagement with the ratchet teeth 92 of the gear 82. The outer end of the lever 112 extends through an opening 126 in partition wall 48, and has a longitudinal slot 128, receiving a pin 131i, carried on the upper end of a vertical operating rod 132. The latter is actuated upwardly by a vehicle, by thrust communicated through uid pressure.

The lower portion of housing 40 is formed with a frusto-conical recess 134, and a bottom plate 136 having a registering upwardly opening frusto-conical recess 138, is secured to the bottom of the housing 40 by bolts 140. The two recesses are separated by a resilient diaphragm 142 of rubber-like material, secured at its periphery between bottom plate 136 and housing 40. The operating rod 132 is anchored at its lower end to the diaphragm 142, so as to be actuated thereby, the rod having, for this purpose, a threaded, lower section 144, which passes through a central opening in the diaphragm and upper and lower reinforcing washers 146, 148, the rod being secured by a lower, flanged head 150, and an upper, lock nut 152. A compression, coil spring 154 surrounds the rod 132 and is compressed between the washer 146 and the top of the recess 134-, and normally biases the diaphragm to its lowermost position. Upward and downward movements of the diaphragm results in vertical movements of the rod 132 and consequent pivoting of the lever 112. A vent 155 is provided in the top of the recess 134, which communicates with housing chamber 46 so that liexing of the diaphragm will not be impeded by air compression.

The diaphragm 142 is urged upwardly by fluid pressure in the chamber 133 below the diaphragm. The bottom plate 136 has a threaded central, bottom opening, in which is secured a nipple 156, to the lower end of which is threadedly attached a cap nut 158 which secures to the nipple the flared upper end 160 of a tube 162. At its lower end tube 162 is attached to a resilient bladder 164, which is placed on the roadway surface 166 adjacent the curb, where it is secured in place by a split ring 168 with supporting flanges 170, which is secured to the roadway as by nails 172, or other suitable fasteners.

The lower recess 138, the tube 162, and the bladder 164 are filled with fluid 174, which may be brake fluid or the like. A filling plug 176 may be provided on the bladder 164, or other convenient location. For bleeding to remove entrapped air, a suitable needle valve 178 may be threadedly secured in bottom plate 136, having a conical tip 180, cooperating with a mating seat, to open and close a narrow passage 1S2 leading into chamber 138.

In operation, assuming the meter clock is still running, the pressure of a vehicle wheel on bladder 164 is transmitted throughout the fluid, and causes diaphragm 142 to rise, carrying with it the operating rod 132. This causes inward and downward pivoting of the lever 112, so that cam yoke 118 cams gear 82 into mesh the gear 80, with lug 122, at the same time that pawl 94 is disengaged so that the gear 80 is free to be rotated by spring 106. This rotates the gearing within the meter, so that the meter hand is quickly turned to zero. This also results in stoppage of gear S0, so that the energy in spring 106 is not unduly dissipated beyond the actual expenditure required. After wheel pressure on the bladder 164 has been removed, the rod 132 is moved down to lower position by spring 154, the lever rises, permitting pawl 94 to again lock gear 80 against rotation, and disengages the cam yoke from gear S2, so that spring 84 urges gear 82 out of engagement with gear 80, thus unclutchng the reset system.

While a certain preferred embodiment has been shown and described, modifications will be apparent in the light of this disclosure, and the invention should not therefore s be deemed as limited, except insofar as shall appear from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

l claim:

1. In combination with a parking meter having a head containing an indicator operating shaft, a reset mechanism comprising a housing mounted on said head, a rotary shaft assembly journaled through said housing, said assembly comprising an outer shaft formed with an axial bore opening to the inner end thereof, an inner shaft having a smooth outer end portion journaled in said bore, said inner shaft having a polygonal intermediate portion and a smooth inner end portion, the smooth inner end portion being journaled on the housing and operatively connected to the parking meter indicator operating shaft, an inner ring gear slidably and non-rotatably engaged on the polygonal portion of the inner shaft, an outer ring gear xed on the outer shaft and facing the inner ring gear, spring means biasing the inner ring gear away from the outer ring gear, said inner ring gear having a beveled annular cam surface, a lever pivoted intermediate its ends on the housing, said lever having a downwardly extending cam on its inner end adapted, at

times to operatively engage said cam surface, an operating rod extending across the shaft assembly, pin-and-slot means connecting one end of the operating rod to the` outer end of said lever, a spring-pressed pawl pivoted intermediate its ends on the housing at one side of the lever, said lever being in operative engagement with said pawl, ratchet teeth on the periphery of the outer gear with which the pawl is normally engaged, rotating spring means operatively connected to the housing and to the outer gear for rotating the shaft assembly in one direction, the outer end of the outer shaft having means for rotating the same to tension the rotating spring means, and actuating means operatively connected to the operating rod.

2. The combination of claim l, wherein said housing is formed with recess means surrounding the operating rod and into which the operating rod extends, a resilient diaphragm secured across the recess means and dividing the recess means into upper and lower chambers, means fixing the operating rod to the diaphragm, a spring compressed between the top of the recess means and the diaphragm, and said actuating means comprising a vehicle wheel compressible bladder having a tube leading to the lower chamber, the bladder, the tube and said lower chamber containing fluid.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 23,338 2/51 Burton 58-142 1,248,352 11/17 Liberty 18S-37 1,331,631 2/20 Erbe 18S-37 2,869,697 1/59 Marshall 192-17 2,900,049 8/59 Kozikowski et al. 192-12 X 2,901,067 8/59 Nicholson 192-18 X 2,947,397 8/60 Pietsch 192-17.1 X

JULIUS E. WEST, Primary Examiner.

THOMAS MACKEY, Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A PACKING METER HAVING A HEAD CONTAINING AN INDICATOR OPERATING SHAFT, A RESET MECHANISM COMPRISING A HOUSING MOUNTED ON SAID HEAD, A ROTARY SAHFT ASSEMBLY JOURNALED THROUGH SAID HOUSING, SAID ASSEMBLY COMPRISING AN OUTER SHAFT FORMED WITH AN AXIAL BORE OPENING TO THE INNER END THEREOF, AN INNER SHAFT HAVING A SMOOTH OUTER END PORTION JOURNALED IN SAID BORE, SAID INNER SHAFT HAVING A POLYGONAL INTERMEDIATE PORTION AND A SMOOTH INNER END PORTION, THE SMOOTH INNER END PORTION BEING JOURNALED ON THE HOUSING AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE PARKING METER INDICATOR OPERATING SHAFT, AN INNER RING GEAR SLIDABLY AND NON-ROTATABLY ENGAGED ON THE POLYGONAL PORTION OF THE INNER SHAFT, AN OUTER RING GEAR FIXED ON THE OUTER SHAFT AND FACING THE INNER RING GEAR, SPRING MEANS BIASING THE INNER RING GEAR AWAY FROM THE OUTER RING GEAR, SAID INNER RING GEAR HAVING A BEVELED ANNULAR CAM SURFACE, A LOWR PIVOTED INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS ON THE HOUSING, SAID LEVER HAVING A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING CAM ON ITS INNER END ADAPTED, AT TIMES TO OPERATIVELY ENGAGED THE SHAFT CAM SURFACE, AN OPERATING ROD EXTENDING ACROSS THE SHAFT ASSEMBLY, PIN-AND-SLOT MEANS CONNECTING ONE ONE OF THE OPERATING ROD TO THE OUTER END OF SAID LEVER, A SPRING-PRESSED PAWL PIVOTED INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS ON THE HOUSING AT ONE SIDE OF THE LEVER, SAID LEVER BEING IN OPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PAWL, RATCHET TEETH ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE OUTER GEAR WITH WHICH THW PAWL IS NORMALLY ENGAGED, ROTATING SPRING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE HOUSING AND TO THE OUTER GEAR FOR ROTATING THE SHAFT ASSEMBLY IN ONE DIRECTION, THE OUTER END OF THE OTHER SHAFT HAVING MEANS FOR ROTATING THE SAME TO TENSION THE ROTATING SPRING MEANS, AND ACTUATING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE OPERATING ROD. 